When I Try to Quilt...

 Seemed like a perfect opportunity to get some serious sewing done. Laundry going--just a few steps away from here, so I can get up and shift loads periodically. Video on the computer, just a music one that requires minimal attention (okay, okay, it's a Jimmy Buffett concert video, now you know!). Four-patches in two varieties ready to sew together into strips--all the pieces for this quilt were cut a few years ago, so it requires little now in the way of mind power. You can't see my glass of ice water--it has a lid and a straw.

But there's an extra added attraction, a cute little helper. If a cat who weighs over 15 lbs can be called "little" that is. Cute, yes, and definitely in Velcro Kitty mode since I was rude enough to go away and leave him. (My cat sitter spends half an hour a day brushing him, and they watch TV together. Rough life!)

 But he does like to be where the action is!

 You can see there's a lot of action going on here. He's doing his best to keep those blocks from running away. Also to keep me from taking them away from him.

 I got up to shift some laundry and came back to this:

"You aren't planning on moving me any time soon." I thought this picture was so cute, I used it for my Photo A Day posting. (See my photo blog or Facebook or Flickr for the whole set--I've really actually been able to do one a day!)

 Well, I did manage to convince  him to move, but not far. And he sulked.

 Look at this poor, pathetic, abused kitten. At least he's got a good place from which to supervise. If he doesn't get too sleepy...

 Ah yes. Sleepy cat eventually turns himself upside down. That paw is perilously close to the moving parts of the machine, but he seems to understand that a needle is a good thing to stay away from. After all, this is a pretty powerful machine!

 It's just all too much. Borr-ring. Just squares of material coming through...the urge to nap is overwhelming!

 View from the top--upside down and curled happily on my piecing! I did eventually get all the 4-patches sewn together, into 4 long strips, and one strip has its bordering strips attached. Pictures when it begins to look like something!

End of the day--"cat meat loaf" time. Worn out from all his efforts! He's in the doorway between the computer room and the "mud room"--the hallway to the back bathroom, back room, and outdoors. He can guard a whole lot of area from here.

If he can stay awake...

Dinner at La Terrasse

Sep 20, 2012 9:06 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

No, I don't know these people, but they were at the next table and I loved the ambience!

Sep 18, 2012 6:48 PM

Sep 18, 2012 6:48 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Obligatory hotel room view. Sadly, we're not high enough up to see the Eiffel Tower from our room, but it's just beyond that building on the left. Honest!

Sep 19, 2012 8:49 PM

Sep 19, 2012 8:49 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Dinner at a brasserie is preceded by a glass of wine, a nice rose fromtheLuberon.

View from My Hotel Room

Sep 17, 2012 9:31 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Looking out over the garden and courtyard. The gianT cedar tree gives the hotel it's name.

Sep 17, 2012 4:57 PM

Sep 17, 2012 4:57 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Quilting, knitting, and ipadding in the hotel garden!

Street Art in Freiburg

Sep 15, 2012 11:21 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

The sidewalks here are cobblestones, and many of the businesses have a design worked in pebbles denoting their trade. Gee, wonder what they do here?

Teaser

Sep 12, 2012 10:50 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Just the first of many pictures uploaded today, thefirstday of thequiltshow--excuse me, Carrefour du Patchwork Europeen--in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, inAlsace. What an amazing event! It's spread over 4 villages, over 20 venues, some of which have several different exhibits.

We went to one that featured work by aSwiss artist, Australian designers, Libby Lehman, and several others. I took lots of pictures to help me remember. Another,featuring Canadian quilts, was hung in a beautiful church.

We go back tomorrow. I just hope my body will hold up so I can enjoy more of it! I figure I'll forget the aches,pains, and hurts, but I'll remember this experience!

PS, so far I haven't bought anything. Don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing...

Sep 8, 2012 10:20 AM

Sep 8, 2012 10:20 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

This stained glass piece is in the bar area ofourhotel. Twelve stars for the 12 countries in the EU, a rendition of Strasbourg Cathedral, and the shield is the coat of arms of the city.

Europa

Sep 7, 2012 8:12 PM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Our hotel in Strasbourg is the Hotel de l'Europe, and while we were gathering to walk to dinner I happened to look up...and there was Europa, holding the globe with the 12 stars of the European Union!

Sep 7, 2012 11:02 AM

Sep 7, 2012 11:02 AM, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Strasbourg, France.

Bonjour from Strasbourg!

No pictures today, as I'm  traveling with the iPad and blogging on it is a new experience. Hey, who says Arnold dog can't learn a few new tricks? Meanwhile, go check out tourmateAnna's photos over at http://woolie mammoth.blogspot.com and leave her a comment. She's even posted one with me init, taken from my best camera angle!

Meantime, I plan to blog when I can, to help me remember. Maybe I'll even figure out how to post pictures here.

And, if you'd like to know what's on my mind today, check out last year's Sept. 7 post. Still missing him!

My Little Helper

My Little Helper, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Trying to get some piecing done is not easy when you have 15 lbs of cat helping out. He went right for this layout as soon as I started down the stairs!

Quilting with the Cat

Quilting with Cat, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Just a quick preview of what ought to be either two nice long blog posts, or one VERY VERY long one! You can click over to Flickr if you want to see more shots of my quilting buddy.

The fabric in this picture is Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee. Yeah, "that" Chicopee!

Twisted Sister w/ borders

Twisted Sister w/ borders, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Been working on this quilt top for the last couple of weeks--there are more progress pictures on Flickr. Now the top is done; the binding is cut and ready. Just need to find a back for it--and, oh yes, quilt it!

This is a "legacy" project from Drs. Harry and Ellin--the notes in the package are dated 3-12-05 and I think may refer to this quilt, although the colors aren't specified and I know they made several using this pattern.

Most of the light-and-dark blue pieces had been cut, as had the pink squares for the centers; a couple of them had been sewn, but the whole thing had been set aside. Once I started working on it, I found I needed a little "intervention" with Jack (the ripper) to get it on track again. Then I found the real problem, and the reason there was another piece of dark blue almost-matching fabric in the box: it was short by 18 pieces to finish the 48 blocks.

A little cutting and sewing later, and the blocks were completed. I don't happen to mind sewing partial seams, so this went together very nicely. I'm not sure that this is the way I'd have chosen to do the borders, but it's what there was enough fabric for, so...

I like it. I'll get it finished and hopefully will be able to give it to Harry, along with the two "layered" quilts that I've already begun quilting.

Ellin, I hope you approve!!

Audrey's New Pets

IMG_1319, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Well, they weren't pets for very long, they were released back into the wild after she realized they only do one trick!

No words...

001, a photo by theleming on Flickr.

to describe this much adorableness!

Over-Under Quilt

IMG_1006, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

Aka, FO #6 in this series! This one is from a 2003 Asilomar class. Lots of Laurel Burch fabrics in this one! There's a bit of perspective going on here--you can see it best in the white cat areas and the pink-and-green ones--in one of the blocks the green dotted fabric almost disappears!

FO #5

IMG_0999, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

This quilt needs a name, too! It's mostly Australian aboriginal prints--the fabric is designed in Australia, and the name of the designer is printed on the selvedge. The design is Sylvia Einstein's "magic square" and this was done in her class at Asilomar in 2008.

Not the oldest of the UFOs in the current batch... #6, like #4, dates back to 2003. Oh yes, there are other older projects in the Great Wall of Rubbermaid. I'm just excavating by strata.

Ballerina quilt in action!

Ballerina quilt in action!, a photo by marie watterlond on Flickr.

The most fun part about finishing a quilt is seeing it in use... and how happy a little person can be!